Is differentiation less profitable than consolidation?

An interesting critique of the current car landscape, discussing how car manufacturers are increasingly creating vehicles that are very, very, very similar, rather than more distinct from one another.

But beyond cars, it's about branding -

"If I consider myself a Toyota person, but I like the body style of the Kia, I won’t be able to decide. If I am looking for luxury but the Ford looks more luxurious, I again get stuck. By homogenizing the style across all brands, every brand sells more because the decision is easier. All you have to do is pick your brand and tell them which of 5 colors you prefer. You can’t blame the car companies for cashing in on the mindless masses."

In many industries, we watch the competitors and make micro movements to converge, and then in our marketing, we strive to highlight the differences, but perhaps those "differences" are really quite minute.

Which companies are actually being brave and delivering real, meaningful, BIG differences in their industries?

Great read - if you are thinking about cars - or any product at all.

The Zombie-mobile